Chug landscapes

Date: various Location: Chug valley, Dirang circle, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Short description: This collection of videos, audio and photo files displays Chug landscapes between 2012 and 2017. The Duhumbi people live in a valley traditionally known as the Chug valley. This valley is located on the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalayan ranges, but not directly on the slopes descending from the great Himalayan range. The watershed between the Tibetan plateau and the southern Himalayan ranges lies to the north and descends till the Mago valley where we find the Brokpa villages of Mago, Thingbu (Thengpoche) and Luguthang (Lungthang, Lugorthang). Between Lungthang and Chug lies the Zela massif, which runs in south-westerly direction from the main Himalayan range till the Bhutan border. The Chug valley has a north to south orientation and is intersected in the middle by the Chug river, locally known simply as Khow Odok ‘big water’, Phrangley Khow ‘Phrangley water’, Khowma Khow ‘water-mother water’, with khowma commonly referring to a big streaming water body, Mangkhow ‘community water’ or Chuk khow ‘Chug water’. The altitude of the valley varies between around 1,650m in the south till 4,848m in the north, with the permanently inhabited part of the valley in the 1,650-2,150m altitudinal range. Figure MAP9999b (courtesy Debby Patterson) shows the location of the Chug valley within western Arunachal Pradesh.

The northern border of the Chug valley is formed by the watershed between the tributaries of the Chug river and a tributary of the Mago river, roughly at 27°33'N, and generally located above 4,000m. On the north bank of the latter tributary we find the Brokpa village of Lungthang. This alpine, high-altitude area above the treeline is marked with a few glacial lakes, including the famous Dawa Photsang Motsang lakes. The vegetation is marked by various alpine scrub species, including ɕukpuɕiŋ ‘juniper’ Juniperus recurva and Rhododendron spp. Towering above and around the glacial valleys are four great peaks: from west to east Jomo Using Buthri, Phu Dumba, Phu Phrangley and Phu Tsorgan (Figure 1). If one crosses between Phu Dumba and Phu Phrangley and passes Dawa Photsang Motsang lakes, one arrives at Lungthang village. The glacial valleys, feeding the streams with melting water in spring, rapidly and steeply descend, and as soon as the treeline is reached they are marked by thick forests.

Figure 1: The main peaks of the Chug valley.

From left to right Jomo Using Butri, Phu Dumba, Phu Phrangley, and Phu Tsorgan

The western border of the Chug valley is formed by a ridge running north to south, roughly around 92°11'E. This ridge, with an altitude between 2,500 and 4,500m, forms the traditional border between the Chug valley and the next valley, which falls under the Brokpa village of Nyukmadung. On this ridge are the hills of Phu Kopiri in the south, Phu Goncung Norbu to its north, and the triplet Phu Hrekpa Hrekcung, Phu Takalang and Phu Yangri from northwest to southeast.

The eastern border of the Chug valley is formed by a ridge with an altitude between 2,500 and 3,500m, approximately at 92°25'E, directly running due south from Phu Tsorgan (called Atha Namba in Sangthi, cf. §2.4.2 and §2.4.3). Beyond this ridge lies the Sangthi valley, now inhabited by Tshangla speakers. Traditionally, there is no border between these two valleys, as the inhabitants are considered the descendants of two brothers. The names of the streams flowing down from either side of this watershed, one feeding the Sangthi Gongri and the other the Chug Mangkhow, are also homonymous, such as, for example, the Tsangparong stream. From north to south, the rounded hill tops of this ridge are called Phu Nangphu, Phu Laphek, Phu Namsri and Phu Pharchu.

In the north, the forests are characterised by coniferous species. In the fir-dominated forest between 2,700 to 3,800m the main tree species are fir Abies densa, sometimes mixed with hemlock and birch Betula alnoides. Below that, and on the northern fringes of the western and eastern ridges between 2,000 to 2,700m, there are a few pockets with mixed coniferous forest dominated by spruce Picea spinulosa, hemlock Tsuga dumosa and larch Larix griffithiana. In the north, and on the eastern ridge, we also find a blue pine-dominated forest between 1,800 to 3,000m with Pinus wallichiana, Quercus spp. and Rhododendron spp. Most of the lower slopes in the north and east of the valley, between 2,000 and 2,900m, are covered by thick cool moist broadleaf forest consisting of mixed deciduous and evergreen species, such as Quercus semecarpifolia, Quercus griffithii, Rhododendron spp., Castanopsis spp., Schima walichii, Daphniphyllum chartaceum, Symplocus spp., Exbucklandia populnea, Acer spp., Persea spp., Alnus nepalensis and their associates. The forests on the western slopes and those closest to the settlements in the valley from 1,800 to 2,600m consist of evergreen oak characterised by dense undergrowth of shrubs, ferns, climbers, bamboos and epiphytes. In this forest, Quercus lamellosa and Quercus lanata dominate alongside Acer campbellii and Castonopsis hystrix.

In the south, the traditional border between the Chug valley and Lish village used to be formed by the Gongri river at around 27°23'N and an altitude of around 1,650m. All the land to the north of the Gongri, to the west of the ridge separating Chug valley from Sangthi valley, and to east of the ridge separating the Chug valley from the next valley to the west used to be the Duhumbi’s land. This southern border has for long been contested (cf. Error! Reference source not found.) and there has been a continuous encroachment by the people of Lish northwards into the Chug valley. The border now officially runs at 27°40'N, at least half a kilometre northward into the valley. The dry subtropical river valley at the confluence of the Gongri and Chug rivers at around 1,600 till 1,800m consists of chir pine Pinus roxburghii with undergrowth shrubs and associates.

Table 1 presents some prominent landmarks in and near the Chug valley with their approximate GPS coordinates and altitudes for reference. The landmarks circle the Chug valley clockwise, starting in the southwest. TABLE 1. LANDMARKS IN AND AROUND THE CHUG VALLEY

landmark GPS coordinates altitude (masl) Chug valley confluence Gongri - Chug river 27°23'37.18''N 92°12'16.49''E 1,643 Shartong Gonpa 27°23'40.36''N 92°12'07.75''E 1,646 Gonpa Nyamgoteng 27°24'10.13''N 92°11'12.48''E 2,313 old footbridge 27°24'09.27''N 92°12'18.94''E 1,658 Kakaling gate 27°24'13.50''N 92°12'18.92''E 1,664 Shader hamlet 27°24'49.11''N 92°12'19.11''E 1,727 new footbridge 27°24'44.88''N 92°12'29.09''E 1,675 Sangngakchöling Gonpa 27°25'06.62''N 92°12'19.19''E 1,787 Kapang hamlet 27°25'05.89''N 92°12'25.80''E 1,711 motorable bridge 27°25'14.84''N 92°12'31.42''E 1,699 Malekama village 27°25'16.39''N 92°12'19.72''E 1,750 Duhum village 27°25'29.71''N 92°12'22.18''E 1,752 Lekuring hamlet 27°25'46.32''N 92°12'26.28''E 1,751 Samtu village 27°26'18.32''N 92°12'24.20''E 1,828 Jomo Usin Buthri 27°34'29.94''N 92°11'26.02''E 4,848 Phu Dumba 27°33'25.75''N 92°12'32.25''E 4,573 Dawa Photsang Motsang 27°33'58.90''N 92°12'55.31''E 4,358 Phu Phrangley 27°34'00.26''N 92°13'26.57''E 4,780 Phu Tsorgan 27°32'29.71''N 92°13'53.80''E 4,576 Laphek village 27°25'40.95''N 92°13'16.21''E 2,125 Bumpa 27°25'25.80''N 92°12'34.70''E1,707 Chuskhor 27°25'14.54''N 92°12'40.88''E 1,721 Mani Dogorba 27°25'08.80''N 92°12'41.34''E 1,708 Tsangpa Thup 27°24'54.57''N 92°12'41.64''E 1,720 Pharchu (abandoned) 27°24'35.56''N 92°12'40.77''E 1,733 Donglok (abandoned) 27°24'30.84''N 92°12'48.99''E 1,807 Jagarbasti/government school 27°24'30.48''N 92°12'31.74''E 1,682 Nishithang 27°24'17.12''N 92°12'27.98''E1,696 Namsir (abandoned) 27°24'15.31''N 92°12'42.41''E 1,828 mani 27°24'11.23''N 92°12'23.23''E1,673 motorable bridge 27°23'33.67''N 92°12'18.90''E 1,652 In the area Lungthang village 27°35'41.69''N 92°11'09.11''E 4,154 Sangthi village 27°24'17.93''N 92°16'37.13''E 1,587 Dirang Dzong 27°20'37.09''N 92°16'23.49''E 1,529 Yewang village 27°21'14.69''N 92°14'03.63''E 1,741 Lish Thup village 27°22'41.45''N 92°13'23.64''E 1,778 Lish Gonpatse village 27°22'39.13''N 92°12'46.29''E 1,978 Khamkhar village 27°23'07.62''N 92°12'03.49''E 1,748 Lubrang village 27°21'54.47''N 92°10'47.22''E 2,835 Nyukmadung village 27°25'02.88''N 92°07'54.54''E 2,347 Senge village 27°27'04.84''N 92°07'04.15''E 2,903

Accompanying zip files: (For all files, the exact date on which the pictures/videos are taken can be found in the file details) file name file size file duration file description (MB) (hh:mm:ss) type

VIDEOS.ZIP 689 .ZIP VIDEOS 00005 104 00:00:53 .mts view of Chug valley from Tsangparong in early October 00016A 73.6 00:00:37 .mts view of ripening paddy fields and mountains in the North in third week of October 00017A 74.5 00:00:38 .mts view of ripening paddy fields and mountains in the North in third week of October 00018A 20.0 00:00:10 .mts view of ripening paddy fields in third week of October ASAM_0844 93.8 00:01:21 .mp4 view from the northern part of the valley (road to Samtu) in end of April ASAM_0861 21.6 00:00:18 .mp4 view from the northern part of the valley (road to Samtu) in end of April ASAM_0872 32.0 00:00:28 .mp4 view from the gonpa on the other side of the river in end of April ASAM_2937 81.1 00:01:10 .mp4 view on Tsangpa village and ripening paddy fields in early November ASAM_3065 46.5 00:00:45 .mp4 view on the mountains in the north from the base of Phu Tsorgen in late November ASAM_3066 57.5 00:00:50 .mp4 view on the mountains in the north from the base of Phu Tsorgen in late November ASAM_3945 30.8 00:00:29 .mp4 view on Chug valley in late June ASAM_3950 57.7 00:00:50 .mp4 view of the swollen Chug river in late June file name file description type

INHABITATION.ZIP (140 MB) .ZIP PICTURES OF VILLAGES AND

HAMLETS 0001; 0002; 0003; 0004 .jpg view of Chuskor (Tib. chu- skor ‘water mill’) and

Bumtsho (Tib. ḥbum-tsho ‘thousand households’) hamlets from the opposite side of the river 0020; 0021; 0022; 0023; 0024; DSC_0353; 00207; .jpg views of Tsangpa village in 00211; 00270; 00272; 04368; 04369; 04370; 04371; different seasons 04372; 04373; 04374; SAM_3948 0011; 0012; DSC_00673; 00674; 00675; 00676; 00677; .jpg view of Rama camp and Khamkhar 0017; DSC_01159; 01160; 01161; .jpg view of Malekama hamlet 0005; DSC_01162 .jpg view of Duhum village DSC_04912; 04913; .jpg land cutting underway opposite Jagarbasti for construction of new school 0006; 0007 .jpg agricultural fields at Dungsumba 0008; 0009; 0010; SAM_3949 .jpg views of Jagarbasti village 0013 .jpg Kakani at Khardung 0014 .jpg Khardung 0015 .jpg Lekuring hamlet 0016 .jpg Lungzapzerbrok pasture area 0018 .jpg Namkang pasture area 0019 .jpg Phamdung deserted village and Dungsamba fields SAM_0871 .jpg Phamdung deserted village

SCENES.ZIP (378 MB) .ZIP PICTURES OF VALLEY SCENES DSC01249; 01250; 01251; 01252; 01253; 01254; 01258 .jpg ʈimba or red clouds forming at sunset in the west of the valley DSC01255; 01256; 01257; 01259; .jpg rain clouds in the north of the valley DSC_0394; 0397; DSC00329; 00330; 00331; 00332; .jpg view towards the mountain 00333; 00334; 00335; 00341; 00342; 00343; 00345; range in the north of the 00353; 00357; 00359; 00360; 01270; 01271; 01272; valley in various seasons 01273; 01274; 01275; 01276; SAM_0826; 0827; 0829; 0830; 0831; 0832; 0833; 0834; 0846; 0847; 0857; 0858; 0859; DSC_0393; DSC00264; 00265; 00347; 00350; 00362; .jpg view towards the south of the 00363; 00364; 00365; 01163; 01228; SAM_0143; 0536; valley 0860; 3058; 3059; DSC_0354; 0390; 0391; 0392; 0394; DSC00212; .jpg various valley scenes in 00215; 00240; 00241; 00242; 00243; 00261; 00262; various seasons 00263; 00273; 00284; 00285; 00336; 00337; 00338; 00339; 00340; 00351; 00352; 00354; 00356; 00366; 01158; 01165; 01174; 01225; 01226; 01227; 01229; 01278; 04909; 04909; 04910; 04911; SAM_0835; 0840; 0841; 0845; 0848; 0862; 0863; 3246; 3247; 3248; 3253; 3254; 3258; 3260; 3261; 3262; 3263; 3267; 3268; 3946; 3947; DSC00671; 00672; 00689; 00691; 00692; 00693; .jpg view of Chugkhow-Gongri confluence SAM_3951; 3952; 3953; 3954; .jpg view of swollen Chugkhow river in summer SAM_3050; 3051; 3055 .jpg view of the mountains in the north close up

Accompanying other files: file name file size (MB) file type description MAP9999b 510kb .pdf map of the Western Arunachal Pradesh chuk2 8.45 .bmp map of Chug valley